A Repost of Rod’s Cancer Story

“The Greatest Gift”

***Rod passed away on January 17, 2022. After 37 years of beating cancer and helping many, many people, Cancer finally had its way with him. I still considered him a walking miracle as did so many other people, including most of his Allopathic medical physicians over the past year. ~ Susan

This is Rod’s cancer story. He originally wrote parts of this as part of his classwork for his certification program with Rosemary Gladstar. How and why he came to be an Herbalist and why it was always such a passionate subject for him. It was always his joy to pass that knowledge on to others. By sharing his story with you I am hopeful that others will be moved to begin their own journeys into the wonderful world that is natural healing…..herbalism.

THE GREATEST GIFT
August 4, 2011
The Greatest Gift God ever gave is the body’s ability to heal itself.

Seemingly, Cancer is and has been reaching epidemic proportions everywhere. It seems that Cancer touches someone or has affected someone you know or someone dear to you very frequently. It affects us all. It affects people in all walks of life without disparity. Cancer has no boundaries. Rich, poor, ethnicity, or gender…..Cancer can touch anyone.

100 years ago, Cancer was a rare disease. Is it our lifestyle? Is it genetic? Is it environmental? Is it a combination of factors? Whatever the trigger mechanism of this deadly disease, it has crept into our society in a deadly way much too frequently. I don’t want to discuss the validity of all the new and improved Allopathic medical models presented to us by the AMA and their minions over in Big Pharma. I don’t want to discuss the claims of the oh so many alternative treatments heralded by people who claim to be able to cure Cancer naturally. (Although some are valid). However, I do wish to share with you all how I dealt with my experience with Cancer. How I dealt with it, how I coped with it and how I survived it. It has been almost 35 years now since I was diagnosed with Stage 4 terminal throat cancer. The following is a re-post of an article I wrote some years ago on how I dealt with and survived this deadly onslaught of physical and emotional horror. Recently, after meeting some very sincere, physically and emotionally hurting and torn Cancer patients, I decided that I wanted to share with you all again, my experience with Cancer.

This an accounting of how I dealt with and survived Cancer.

This is also a reminder for you all to

“Take charge of your own wellness not to just survive, but to thrive”.

“The Greatest Gift”

The ‘Greatest gift God ever gave’ is the body’s ability to heal itself ‘.

But it is up to us as individuals to create a healthy environment for that to take place. Some may or may not abide by the mantra “Your Body, your Temple”. But at least treat your body with respect, understanding and the knowledge of knowing what it needs. Learn to ‘Listen’ to your own body.

I found out I had cancer at the age of 37. I was devastated. I hadn’t even been sick. I’d developed a mild case of Laryngitis after a minor ear infection after swimming in the ocean. My laryngitis seemed to linger after the ‘Swimmers ear’ had long been resolved. Weeks went by and my voice seemed worse. I was newly married only one year, physically fit and strong. I was humbled by the news from the doctor. Especially when I also found out my cancer was in its 4th and final stage. I hadn’t fully realized the full impact of that situation until later during my post surgical treatments. I was still reeling from trying to understand the diagnosis and consequences of Squamous cell, stage 4 Laryngeal, Tracheal Carcinoma. I had Cancer of the throat, voice box to be more specific and it was spreading down my Trachea, (wind Pipe) toward my lungs. My prognosis was not good. He’d told me my chance of survival for the next year was less than 1%. I had to face my own mortality.

My surgery was to be a throat tissue biopsy. Then upon confirmation of the malignancy diagnosis I was to undergo a total laryngectomy ASAP. I knew that would leave me with a permanent tracheal Stoma or a hole in the front of my throat to breathe through for the rest of my life. I didn’t know how much longer I would live. But I felt I couldn’t just give up, even though I got the direct impression my doctor already had. He seemed disinterested in my case after the surgery, wanting to just push me out the door after offering pills for pain or whatever. I felt I was just sitting on a ‘Back Burner’ until my time came.

I asked my doctor why he felt a young, strong, otherwise physically fit man could develop such a deadly cancer at an early age.

He said it was because my immune system had apparently just shut down. My body was not able to fight off the disease. That this type of Squamous cell Cancer usually effected elderly people, it was very aggressive and most always fatal.

I wanted to know Why(?). How could this just happen? What he said next, changed my life forever.

He simply said, “I just don’t know”! In fact, he followed with, “I don’t have a clue” as to why your immune system isn’t working. Your body just gave up and isn’t able to fight this.

I knew right then if I were to survive this, I needed to take complete charge of my own ‘Wellness’.

My immediate effort was to spend many hours at the library. First reading about the disease itself, how it affects people differently and most importantly, my immune system. I was sure my immune system’s non-response was the key. If my Immune system couldn’t or wouldn’t fight, I wanted to know why. Could I change that? The more I read, the more I was convinced I could.

The gathering evidence seemed to be leading toward Diet and Nutrition. The old saying, “You are what you eat” became painfully obvious. I needed to find out more of what my Body needed and not just liked.

I think the first critical criteria was a realization that Alkaline blood levels are a must. It seemed that when the body is too acidic, (opposite of Alkaline) that healing was almost impossible. I also concluded that when almost any disease is present, the body is usually slightly acidic. It seemed that acidic bodily conditions foster disease. The alkalinity or acidity of someone is easily determined by using a piece of litmus paper strips obtained at any pharmacy. Place under the tongue to moisten and wait a few seconds for the color to change, (yellow to green). By placing the test strip along side of the color chart on the test strip container will determine where on the PH scale your alkalinity or acidity lies. Mine was pretty much neutral. This is something I could change through my diet and eating the right foods I could actually become slightly more alkaline. There are certain foods that help create alkalinity, ie Asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, green cabbage, Almonds, etc. It is widely known that these ‘Cruciferous’ vegetables have strong anti-Cancer properties. Asparagus and broccoli (especially sprouts) are well known for their tumor reducing abilities. There are plenty of Nutritional books available on alkaline diets.

I found also, it takes a lot of internal energy on the body’s part just to digest red meat, especially when the body really needs to focus on healing. I tried to avoid eating red meat during this time of stress.

I figured I could eat some red meat, just not letting it be a major part of my diet. The tissues in my throat from the surgery, and the successive radiation treatments were still very swollen, I was having trouble swallowing anyway. I relied mostly on a liquid diet just because of the inability to swallow solid food. I also was suffering from severe bouts of Nausea. I realized juicing fresh vegetables would be a big factor. I included Carrot, apple, cabbage, beets (with the tops) Spinach. Kale or Swiss chard is good too. (Processed sugar products too are not helpful during this time). I deliberately sacrificed the sweets in my diet.

Herb teas and green teas are good, in fact, very good due to the high amounts of antioxidants. I drank lots of fresh clean water. I was fortunate enough to be living on my cousin’s horse farm in Vermont with a wonderful artesian well with high mineral content.

Once I started juicing in one of those infomercial juicers, the results were dramatic. I not only felt better, but I also finally had the strength to get out of bed. I was doing more and more daily. I was getting outside finally to enjoy the fall fresh air. Within a week, I felt well enough to go on short walks and was doing light chores around the yard. Not to mention the positive emotional impact of feeling better was a tremendous lift. exercising felt good as long as I could rest when I needed to and didn’t push myself. Take it slow, I thought.

Feeling now that my diet and nutrition was the key. Considering what I’d just been through surgically, it seemed I was on the right track and diligently stuck with feeding my nutritional needs for optimal wellness through juicing and eating proper foods.

The next step was to become aggressive with re-building my immune system. My choice was to undertake a regiment of herbal supplements historically known to fight and reduce tumors, to kill cancer cells and strengthen and support my weakened immune response.

The following is the Primary daily herbal regiment I started.

Red Clover tea, W/ Honey (Ginger tea when Nausea was present)

Siberian Ginseng extract (for energy)

Parsley w/ Garlic (According to Louise Tenney, MH, Cancer cells cannot grow in a Parsley medium/ Garlic maintains a healthy Lymph system and helps flush waste from lymph glands). (Usually put through the juicer, but can be taken as capsules). Parsley is a diuretic and able to dispel toxins from the body through the kidneys and urinary tract

Echinacea Tincture: to help rebuild a strong Immune system

Golden Seal: to heal the radiation burned/ swollen tissues in my throat and trachea, very healing to mucus membrane lining.

Pau D’Arco (or Una D’Gato/ aka Cats Claw… Similar to Pau D’Arco) for tumor reduction and strengthening the Immune System

Chaparal, Powerful Cytokine known for its ability for tumor reduction and known to kill and destroy Cancer cells.

Chlorella (or Spirulina). Provides all nutritional needs, Known also to be a remarkable detoxifier and blood purifier.

To a lesser degree, I also used in capsule or supplement form:

Burdock root: Blood cleanser

Dandelion Leaf and Dandelion Root, long known as a blood cleanser, detoxifier and liver toner.

Curley dock, aka Yellow dock root (Excellent blood purifier and cleanser)

Licorice root: Hormone/ endocrine balance

Kelp, aka Sea Weed : for the high content of Iodine and Potassium to protect my thyroid. (necessary) Iodine and the ability to absorb iodine, (Uptake) is destroyed during radiation and chemo. Iodine is absolutely essential to the function of the thyroid gland. I can’t stress this fact enough as I eventually lost the functionality of my Thyroid after the extensive 4 month period of radiation treatments.

*** if I had known then, what I know now. I would have also added as primary herbals:

*Black Cumin, aka Black Seed/ Blessed oil for its tumor reducing qualities through T-Cell production, along with its enormous ability to kill cancer cells.

*Aloe Vera Juice taken/ drank daily protects healthy tissues from the harmful radiation. (Aloe is mandatory treatment in China during Cancer treatment) to protect healthy tissue and organs.

* Caution here as Aloe Vera Juice taken internally is somewhat cathartic and will present loose stools. However, Aloe Vera Gel used topically is very helpful to counter the damage of radiation burns. (My doctor suggested applying ‘Lanolin’ on my radiation burns. It was like putting ‘Butter’ on a bad burn. It made the burn worse by holding in heat. I was in agony until I changed to the cooling and healing of the Aloe Vera.

I stayed with this regiment for over 1 year. My monthly visits to the doctors office were successively greeted with surprise and I think ‘Awe’, as I was looking good and feeling stronger every day. My pallor, demeanor and inner spirit were lifted high again and was readily apparent. I regained much of the weight loss. Even my hair grew back. My doctor and his staff were so surprised, (I think that I was still alive and doing well). At this time also, I was on NO medication.

I did, however continue with (a more lenient) regiment of Herbals and only juiced to maintain the alkalinity of my blood . I also continued my insatiable quest for knowledge and passionately learned everything I could about Therapeutic Herbals and alternative health. I eventually became a certified Herbalist and still practice with the same passion.

I did indeed regain my good health. My wellness is still under my control. I am eternally grateful for God’s greatest gift.

Rod…. aka The TinMan
Written in 2000, originally and updated in 2011